What I Wore Sunday: The One Where I Use Self-Timer

by Shannon

If you hang around until the end of the post, you can oogle my accessories collection.

This is why I used self-timer this Sunday.

I think Ryan has tired of taking pictures of me. And, yes, that's the smoke detector on the counter. It goes off when dinner is ready. 

Here are the results from the self-timer session.

It was a difficult decision, but I think this was the best one. Not completely out of focus, and you can see the fun, poofy sleeves.

Deets:
Earrings: Victoria Townsend, Macys
Necklace: heirloom
Jacket: LOFT, consignment shop in trendy neighborhood
Dress: Taylor, TJ Maxx
Belt: Simply Vera, Kohls
Watch: Fossil
Tight: Target
Boots: Sears

I have only been dying to wear this party dress to Mass for more than a year, but it's very ... friendly up top. I've only worn it one other time, to a friend's wedding, for which I borrowed a cardigan last minute. I've been searching for a cropped jacket ever since, and I finally found one this weekend at my favorite consignment shop, running me $12. Yay! I would have liked it to be a bit more cropped, so I don't look so much like a bell from neckline to hemline, but I'm pretty happy with it. In the closeup of my locket, you can see the jacket has a fine dot pattern, which is really fun with the patterned skirt. 

This is my favorite heirloom from my paternal grandmother. She gave it to me when I was 14, and I immediately put a picture of my sister and me in it.

Maybe it's because I've known us, well, our whole lives, but I think it's really funny that we don't look like each other in that old picture, but we look so similarly now. 

Here are the earrings. I'd been on the lookout for two-tone love knots for a while, and these fit the bill. I've had them for a couple years.

No closeup on the boots, as I've done it before. 

Here's our lunch guest's Pinterest hair, which she sported at Mass. She's just got over a bug, so I didn't insist on a picture of her fashion. Check out her scarf, though. Pretty, pretty.

Ever since my post about discovering my personal style, I've wanted to show y'all how I organize my accessories. Accessories are my favorite part of fashion. I started really collecting them three or four years ago. Between gifts, consignment stores and Target clearance, I've amassed so much that I rarely feel drawn to buy anything unless it's super unusual (read: usually vintage). I knew I needed a new (and cheap) way to organize my sparkly things when I could no longer close the jewelry box my father made. 

I decided to use what I had, so I piled up a bunch of pretty things to hold my pretty things.

Left: Peacock plate from friend's Japanese grandmother, teacups from my bridal shower, wooden box regifted to me from my cousin (an ex gave it to her as a wedding gift — heh.), oooold butter container that was one of my mother's first vintage buys (funnily enough purchased to hold jewelry), and a lie — I did not only use what I had around the house. I later bought the egg crate from World Market when I decided I needed more space for stud earrings. Top: Smallish necklaces, now kept in my father's jewelry box. Bottom: I found a couple more St. Francis of Assisi items in our house this weekend — where did all this stuff come from?!

I keep bracelets, brooches and scarf clips with these teacups. 

For my long necklaces, I took an old shelf and screwed in hooks, which came in one of those small divided boxes full of hardware. The heart hanger isn't my style, but it was laying around. Not sure why or from where. I hung the art because it was on the floor in a corner, the music box is from my childhood (plays "My Favorite Things"), and the Cantillon bottle holds silk flowers from our wedding.

Top: The first vintage necklace I ever bought, purchased at the antique mall near our college where Ryan and I discovered our shared love of old things. Can't believe it's been 10 years. Bottom: More pretty stuff. Right: Ryan and Crucher's Christmas gift to me. 

Earrings live here. Danglies are hung on the teacup or put on the plate, and studs are in the egg crate. I put earrings that are broken or missing partners inside the teacup.

Top left: The wooden box holds the extra notions that come with new clothes. Top right: I hang my headbands on the top of the dresser mirror. Bottom: One of my drawers is full of scarves and hankies. 

Eh, while I'm at it, here is the rest of the closet. It's actually a fourth bedroom that we hung Closetmaid hardware in. Our bedroom is closetless. Ryan's stuff is to the right, and his dresser is to my left. My dresser and jewelry are behind me. We also keep linens in here, folded to the left of that hanging sweater divider. What you see here is everything I have for winter, spring, summer and fall, save what's in the laundry and a few coats/jackets in the hall closet.

So, that's how I organize my pretty bobbles and bits. How do you keep your jewelry organized? Do you keep it on display or put it away? Did you need to buy special organizers, or did you get creative? Do you have a spot for extra buttons and thread, or am I just OCD?

Don't forget to go to Fine Linen and Purple for much shorter blog posts.